Chapter 406: North River Boundary Star, First Trial Passed

At the Zhao Royal Estate, within the Wind River Grotto-Heaven, stood a colossal tree seemingly covered in golden eyes.

"Hmph..."

An eye within the tree's heart opened, and ripples of dark gold spread outwards into the void.

A thousand *li* away from the Thousand Illusion Tree, a black-haired young man sat cross-legged on a smooth, massive stone.

Facing the mental pressure assailing him from all directions, the youth kept his eyes closed, unmoving like a reef in a rushing torrent.

Suddenly, the Thousand Illusion Tree ceased its swaying, and a phantom of a scholarly middle-aged man emerged from its heart.

"Emperor, only three years remain until the Primal Assembly begins. You also need to reach the Beihe Boundary Star. It's time to conclude your cultivation."

"That was quite fast," Zhao Xing said, opening his eyes and glancing at his panel.

Name: Zhao XingRealm: Minor Divine Ability CompletionProfession: Minister of AgricultureDao Field: Taiyin First TierAge: 4210Remaining Lifespan: 2.99 EpochsGreat Yang Clone (Minor): Divine Ability Sixth TierSlaughterous Thought Blade (Minor): Divine Ability Ninth TierMind Bell (Minor): Divine Ability Sixth TierElement Extraction Divine Ability (Minor): Divine Ability Fifth TierPurple Light Eight Epochs (Minor): Divine Ability CompletionThree Spirit Fate Palace (Minor): Divine Ability CompletionSoul Heaven Sight (Minor): Divine Ability Sixth TierDivine Fire Turtle Transformation (Minor): Divine Ability Fifth Tier

"Over a hundred years of cultivation has yielded excellent results," Zhao Xing mused, satisfied. Practicing with the Eight-Horned Demon Tortoise, both his willpower and spiritual divine abilities had improved significantly.

As for the Great Divine Ability, Five Finger Mountain, he had yet to master it, so it did not appear on his panel.

Zhao Xing waved his hand forward, and the Thousand Illusion Tree obediently retracted its power. Its size then rapidly diminished, shrinking to only half a person's height before landing in Zhao Xing's palm, as if it had grown there.

Zhao Xing instantly teleported to the entrance of the Wind River Grotto-Heaven.

There, he saw a majestic black dog standing guard, alongside a goat with red fur on its head and a large black-and-purple striped cat.

"Meow," Ao Tianmao leaped onto Zhao Xing's shoulder and settled there.

Xiaotian Quan jumped onto Zhao Xing's arm, sniffing at the Thousand Illusion Tree, then stretched out its tongue to lick it.

"Get lost, you silly dog!" The Thousand Illusion Tree shook a branch, swatting Xiaotian Quan away.

"Woof!" Xiaotian Quan yelped, then immediately scrambled up Zhao Xing's arm and lay down on his right shoulder.

"Baa!" The red-haired Reversal Goat, having missed out on a good spot, bleated anxiously.

"Woof woof!" Xiaotian Quan extended a paw, ruthlessly mocking the little red-haired goat.

The Illusion Sky Goat eyed various places on Zhao Xing, finally jumping onto his chest and standing there.

As long as it wasn't ninety degrees, it was a perfectly viable spot for it!

Zhao Xing chuckled softly, reached out, picked up the little goat, and placed it in Xiaotian Quan's spot.

Outside the Grotto-Heaven, many people were already waiting in the Zhao Royal Estate.

This included Liu Tianning, Long Xiao, Chen Shijie, Mi Fu, Ye Yukong, Lu Ying, and Xia Jing—almost all of Great Zhou's most important officials were present.

Facing the Red Star Empire's triennial grand event, Ji Che had temporarily suspended his external inspections and ordered everyone to return. Only a select few, including Ji Si and Wei Hong, remained elsewhere.

"Zhao Xing, you're finally out," Long Xiao said, clad in military attire. "We need to leave quickly; it starts in just three years, and it will take us several months to reach the Beihe Boundary Star."

"Just a minor guard, what's the rush?" Xia Jing commented leisurely.

"You!" Long Xiao glared.

"Hahahahaha."

Everyone burst into laughter.

"Is everyone accounted for?" Zhao Xing asked.

"Everyone from Great Zhou who registered is here," Lu Ying replied. "A total of 312 people."

"Then let's depart," Zhao Xing waved his hand, and a Lynx-shaped Boundary Vessel appeared. All 312 individuals immediately entered the Lynx Boundary Vessel.

Inside the Boundary Vessel, Zhao Xing began reviewing the detailed regulations of the Primal Assembly via the Star Mirror.

"Imperial Citizen Zhao Xing, welcome to register for the Primal Assembly."

"The Primal Assembly consists of four assessment rounds."

"The first round's assessment will take place on the administrative Boundary Stars of the Empire's major high-level star systems."

"Your assessment location: Beihe Star System, Beihe Boundary Star."

"Registration has closed. The Beihe Star System has a total of 724.1 billion registrants this time."

"The Beihe Star System only has over 700 billion," Zhao Xing murmured.

Zhao Xing had registered immediately when the registration channel opened.

At that time, hundreds of millions had registered within just three minutes, but a century later, only over 700 billion people had registered.

Over 700 billion seemed like a vast number, yet the Beihe Star System boasted over a trillion Yin-Yang binary stars, not to mention countless Boundary Stars and Star Continents.

However, life-sustaining Boundary Stars and Star Continents were fewer. Adding them all up, there were only over 80 billion.

"The Milky Way has 400 billion stars. This Beihe Star System is only slightly larger than the Milky Way. Its development level is far inferior to the Beiye Star System where Jing Yan is," Zhao Xing mused silently.

"A registration fee of 10,000 Red Star Coins? Just collecting registration fees is a huge income."

"However, compared to the past dozen sessions, this number is decreasing year by year."

"The Beihe Star System's fiscal deficit is also continuously growing..."

"It seems the Empire's development has also reached a bottleneck. No wonder they are eager to open up new territories."

Zhao Xing browsed through various data. As the Grand Minister of Agriculture, reviewing all kinds of data, especially financial data, was an ingrained habit.

"This Primal Assembly will be absolutely fair and just. All participants must be at the Source Realm, and no participant may use self-equipped Dao Soldiers, spirit beasts, or plant soldiers."

"After the first round of assessment, the second round will begin 100 years later. The assessment location will be in the Red Star Empire's twenty-eight top-tier star systems."

"After the second round of assessment, the third round will begin 100 years later. The assessment location remains the same."

"After the third round of assessment, the fourth round will begin 100 years later. The assessment location will be 'Primal Realm'."

A total of four rounds of selection. Reaching the fourth round grants entry to the Primal Realm for observation.

To stay for further study, one must pass the fourth round.

"According to 'Great Derivation Divine Artifact' calculations and past sessions, only about 15,000 people from the Beihe Star System's 700 billion-plus registrants will pass."

"The competition is truly fierce."

Out of over 700 billion people, the Great Derivation Divine Artifact predicted only 15,000 would pass.

"However, with the grand event starting, many first-tier forces will also open assessments at the Beihe Boundary Star. The threshold for recruitment by these first-tier forces is much lower than that of the Primal Realm."

In short, if one wanted to cultivate, there were many avenues.

For example, Myriad Heart Island also opened assessments in various administrative star systems at this time.

If one couldn't enter a sacred land, they could try other options.

In summary, Beihe Boundary Star was now bustling with activity.

Great Zhou's 312 people wouldn't come for nothing; gaining experience was also good.

Three months later, the Lynx Boundary Vessel entered the Beihe Boundary Star.

As the center of the entire Beihe Star System, Beihe Boundary Star was a top-tier Boundary Star, but due to the star system's relatively small size, it was only classified as a "High-Level Star System."

Guided orderly into the Boundary Star, Zhao Xing and others saw seventy-two huge light gates embedded in the Boundary Star's barrier.

"The seventy-two light gates are the seventy-two entrances to the assessment grounds."

"Which area was Master assigned to?" Zhao Xing asked.

"Entrance No. 9," Liu Tianning pointed to the sky. "What about you?"

"No. 8," Zhao Xing replied. "Who else is with me at this entrance?"

"Me," Chen Shijie said.

"And me," Xia Jing, Mi Fu, and Ye Yukong also stepped forward.

There were a total of twenty-three people, all assigned to area eight.

"Only just over two years remain until the countdown; we can enter and prepare for battle," Zhao Xing said, putting away the Lynx Boundary Vessel.

In fact, the entrance had opened twenty years ago; Zhao Xing and his group were relatively latecomers.

"I wish you all success in passing."

"Action!"

Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh! The 312 people immediately flew towards their respective entrances.

Under the vast starry sky, Zhao Xing appeared on an oval-shaped floating platform enclosed by a light barrier, surrounded by swirling clouds. Behind him was a light gate.

Zhao Xing looked up and saw the number 9510 on the gate, along with a countdown to the assessment start time.

"Hum—"

At the top of the gate frame, there was a crystal ball. When Zhao Xing entered, a light projection appeared, accompanied by a voice.

"I am the artifact spirit of the Great Derivation Divine Artifact. All your actions are under surveillance. After the assessment begins, please do not engage in any actions that violate the assessment rules, including but not limited to taking pills or using equipment."

Zhao Xing listened quietly.

After repeating three times, the artifact spirit of the Great Derivation Divine Artifact fell silent.

Zhao Xing turned around and looked at his surroundings.

Due to the surrounding mist, he couldn't see outside at all, nor did he know the assessment content. Only a starry sky was visible above.

The clouds would only dissipate once the assessment officially began.

Zhao Xing didn't look much further and began to close his eyes and meditate, adjusting his state to peak condition.

It was the third day before the start of the Primal Assembly's first round.

"Hmph..."

The artifact spirit of the Great Derivation Divine Artifact reappeared in the crystal ball at the top of the light gate.

It emitted a gentle light, waking Zhao Xing, who was meditating.

"The assessment will begin at Chenshi (7-9 AM) two days from now. Please prepare."

Zhao Xing opened his eyes and looked at the side of the light gate.

At this moment, a stone tablet rose from the base of the light gate, with a line of gray text on it:

"Current remaining participants: 712 billion."

Since the assessment hadn't begun, the number hadn't changed.

"I must persist until only 15,000 people remain to have a chance of passing," Zhao Xing thought to himself. "The longer I persist, the better."

15,000 people was the Great Derivation Divine Artifact's prediction and might not be accurate.

In the highly competitive Beiye Star System, this number would be 890,000, mainly depending on the density of cultivators.

In the most prosperous Imperial Capital Star System, the first round even allowed 80 million people to pass! This was because the Imperial Capital Star System had a better spiritual energy environment, nurturing more geniuses.

Of course, to prevent citizens from high spiritual energy star systems from registering in other regions, the Primal Assembly would verify household registrations. Any changes within three millennia would require participants to return to their original registered location.

The assessment intensity in high spiritual energy star systems would certainly be higher, as their potential was tapped earlier. In low spiritual energy star systems, the assessment intensity was lower, with much potential still to be explored.

"Without a doubt, the first test of this assessment is a 'Thousand Illusion Tree'."

"I just don't know what level the Thousand Illusion Tree in the Beihe Star System is," Zhao Xing thought to himself.

"I remember the Imperial Capital Star System's Thousand Illusion Tree was at the mid-stage Yin-Yang Dao Domain Realm, and the floating platforms would continuously approach it, gradually intensifying the mental impact."

Zhao Xing himself possessed a Thousand Illusion Tree, which he had been using for cultivation during the past century.

People from Great Zhou would occasionally enter the Wind River Grotto-Heaven to cultivate, but Zhao Xing didn't force them.

The difficulty of the assessment was set. Even with preparation, if one's talent was too poor, they would still be eliminated later; forcing it was meaningless.

Two days later, the artifact spirit of the Great Derivation Divine Artifact transmitted a majestic voice.

"Assessment begins!"

As the voice faded, the surrounding clouds instantly dissipated.

"Hmph..."

In the starry sky ahead, a colossal tree appeared, obscuring the sky and sun. It radiated golden light like a sun.

Countless dark golden leaves, with patterns like eyes, almost filled the entire entire starry sky.

"Rustle!" The Thousand Illusion Tree swayed its leaves, and mental impacts permeated everywhere, piercing into the barrier.

Zhao Xing didn't even blink.

"A hundred million *li* from the Thousand Illusion Tree, this intensity is like a tickle."

Zhao Xing also didn't worry about getting injured. Inside the barrier, there was a recovery formation. If one was injured and couldn't hold on, they would immediately be teleported away and healed, which, of course, meant elimination.

Zhao Xing glanced at the stone tablet beside the light gate and blinked.

The number of remaining participants displayed on the stone tablet had suddenly dropped to 600 billion.

"So many people eliminated in one second?"

"So many people just came for the fun."

"Ten thousand coins is still money."

At the start of the assessment, the intensity was very weak, just the first realm. Anyone who had undergone willpower training could easily withstand it.

However, caught off guard, many people were still eliminated.

"The Primal Assembly's assessment, whether in the first realm or third realm, is assessed together. The first hurdle, the mental willpower test, doesn't differentiate by profession; everyone faces the same content."

Dao Domain Realm cultivators did not participate because they usually exceeded 10,000 years old, no longer meeting the age requirement. Besides, if a Dao Domain Realm cultivator went to guard the desolate regions, even a Five Elements Dao Domain Realm cultivator could earn an opportunity to enter the Primal Realm for advanced study within two to three millennia.

Great Divine Ability cultivators were very rare. Among a billion third-realm cultivators, it was not guaranteed that anyone could break through and continue deeper cultivation in the Source Realm. The Primal Realm specifically recruited those Great Divine Ability users.

"I wonder if there are 2,000 Great Divine Ability users in the Beihe Star System this time?" Zhao Xing thought. Without data reference, he wasn't sure.

However, Great Divine Ability users were not guaranteed to pass. Their cultivated Great Divine Ability might not be suitable for the assessment.

For example, even if Zhao Xing had mastered the Great Divine Ability Five Finger Mountain now, it would be useless for the willpower test; if he couldn't withstand it, he still couldn't.

"Rumble!"

After the first day, the floating platform began to move forward.

Zhao Xing also saw countless light dots, which were other participants, but they couldn't be seen clearly.

The barrier protected participants from interfering with each other.

"Still over 300 billion," Zhao Xing glanced at the remaining number, closed his eyes, and began to cultivate.

Zhao Xing was relaxed, but it was different for others.

The Thousand Illusion Tree's innate Great Divine Ability, Thousand Illusion Eyes, constantly eroded everyone's minds.

On the first day, Great Zhou had 54 third-realm cultivators eliminated.

"Whoosh!"

After elimination, these people were sent out.

They returned to a designated relocation area in the Beihe Boundary Star.

"The mental willpower hurdle is truly difficult," King Beichen Qin Feng sighed after reappearing.

In the Xuanhuang Realm, he was one of the earliest experts to break through to the Rule Realm. It was also his queen and brother-in-law whom Zhao Xing had turned into chickens and dogs back then.

"King Beichen, you were also eliminated?" A military general asked King Beichen Qin Feng.

"I'm ashamed," King Beichen shook his head.

"It seems that merely pursuing powerful strength isn't enough; mental willpower training is also very important," another Qi Sect general lamented.

In the third realm, they primarily focused on discovering the body's treasures, dedicating their energy to that.

In fact, everyone knew that mental willpower would be a weakness, but not everyone bothered to compensate for it.

"Normally, I'd think buying a treasure for self-defense is enough. Can my own arduous cultivation compare to a treasure crafted by a master refiner for self-defense?"

"When acting in groups, Qi Sect martial artists would typically pair with soul-path teammates."

"With Dao Soldiers protecting us, we never felt this was a weakness."

"Now I see it, it's still very necessary," King Beichen exclaimed.

Being eliminated on the first day felt utterly unfulfilling!

Ten thousand Red Star Coins in registration fee, just for one day's fun, a complete loss of face.

"King Beichen is right," many military generals echoed.

In reality, it was just talk for now.

Without demand, there's no motivation to cultivate.

Assessment is assessment, reality is reality. In reality, with Dao Soldiers protecting one's body, who would bother arduously cultivating mental willpower?

Not taking the shortcut was self-torture.

Of course, there were also those like King Beichen who seriously considered undertaking high-intensity mental training in the future.

In the Beiye Star System, under the starry sky, on Floating Platform No. 10000.

Yu Tianqing looked at the Thousand Illusion Tree, somewhat bewildered.

"It started? Is this tree the test?"

"Strange... why don't I feel anything at all?"

A thousand years had passed, and Yu Tianqing's Eye of Breaking Illusions had grown much stronger, though it was still in its initial development stage.

After the assessment began, he felt nothing for an entire day.

He even mistakenly thought that the lack of sensation was because he was caught in a powerful illusion.

"I still need to stay focused," Yu Tianqing mumbled.

In the same location, Jing Yan frowned.

"The first hurdle is mental willpower; that's troublesome."

Jing Yan had once vowed in the Transcendent Realm to improve his mental willpower, but after reverting, he forgot about it.

He had now cultivated to the third realm, but this aspect wasn't particularly outstanding.

Facing numerous competitors, Jing Yan wasn't confident he could last until the end.

"If I could cultivate in the Primal Realm for three thousand years, I might be able to break into the top 10,000 in the inheritance succession."

"But my willpower divine ability is only at the fourth tier, barely out of the introductory stage."

"I'll try my best," Jing Yan began to cram, using the Thousand Illusion Tree to cultivate his willpower divine ability.

On Liu Tianning's floating platform in the Beihe Star System.

Liu Tianning's mind and body were relaxed, letting the Thousand Illusion Tree's power impact him.

He cultivated a willpower divine ability called "Mirror Heart Lake," also purchased from Myriad Heart Island, a prerequisite for the Great Divine Ability "Mother River of Mind."

Unlike Zhao Xing, Liu Tianning had started this cultivation a millennium ago when he first arrived at the Red Star Empire.

This was because Liu Tianning had suffered greatly from the side effects of the "Straw Man Technique" during his time in the Xuanhuang Realm, and it was Zhao Xing who resolved the trouble with the "Yan Shen Jue."

After entering the cosmic domain, Liu Tianning still enjoyed researching various "Straw Man Techniques."

To avoid repeating past mistakes, he placed great importance on mental cultivation, even prioritizing it.

"The mind lake is like a clear mirror. When ripples appear, I can quickly detect that I'm being attacked." Liu Tianning looked directly at the Thousand Illusion Tree, unperturbed.

"Mirror Heart Lake is already perfected, but how do I master the Great Divine Ability 'Mother River of Mind'?"

"Zhao Xing's Thousand Illusion Tree seems different from this one."

Liu Tianning pondered, and a moment later, he decided to drop his defenses and actively welcome the Thousand Illusion Tree's attacks.

Ripples spread across his mind lake, and layers of illusions immediately appeared in Liu Tianning's eyes.

His conscious mind walked clearly on the mind lake, and with every step, ripples formed beneath his feet.

Liu Tianning observed and comprehended.

As time passed, the floating platform gradually approached the Thousand Illusion Tree.

The assessment difficulty also gradually increased, and the number of eliminated participants rapidly rose.

On Floating Platform 82451 in the Beihe Boundary Star.

Xia Jing's face was bitter.

He rubbed his eyes, realizing that what he saw was no longer the Thousand Illusion Tree, but a gigantic fish-beast appearing in front of him.

The huge fish opened its gaping maw, teeth like sharp sawblades, spraying corrosive mucus.

Xia Jing seemed to smell a strong fishy odor.

"Damn it! I'm not afraid of eating fish anymore, why do such illusions keep appearing?" Xia Jing cursed, firming his resolve.

Time flowed. One year and nine months quickly passed since the start of the assessment.

"Rumble!"

Floating Platform 9510 moved forward again.

Zhao Xing opened his eyes and looked at the stone tablet beside him.

"Remaining participants: 2,150,045."

"Only two million people left."

"The mental impact strength of the Thousand Illusion Tree is already very high now."

Before this, Zhao Xing didn't need to use "Slaughterous Thought Blade" to resist.

Relying solely on his inherent "mental resilience" was enough to maintain consciousness.

But now, he also had to activate his willpower divine ability to suppress the constantly arising distracting thoughts in his mind.

Otherwise, these distracting thoughts would compel him to voluntarily exit the light gate, which would lead to elimination.

"Kill, kill, kill!"

Zhao Xing's eyes glowed red, and he began to suppress the distracting thoughts in his mind with killing intent.

Soon, he no longer had thoughts of quitting.

"One year and nine months. I wonder how many people are left from Great Zhou," Zhao Xing thought to himself.

In the central area of the Beihe Boundary Star, there was a Beihe Royal Palace.

In a magnificent hall within the palace, King Beihe Yang Lin was observing a huge water mirror.

As a Star System Lord bestowed by the Imperial Emperor, King Beihe was at the Reincarnation Realm and had experienced fifty-six reincarnation trials.

Yet, even such a powerful expert, King Beihe, was extremely respectful towards the two figures in the hall.

One was 'Primal Emissary' Zuo Qiyu from the Primal Realm, a Reincarnation Realm 'Self' faction Minister of Agriculture.

The other figure was a silver mechanical puppet, a manifestation of the Great Derivation Divine Artifact named 'Chen Jiu'.

The Great Derivation Divine Artifact's main body was a mechanical divine object. Its manifestations were categorized by the twelve Chinese zodiac hours, each with different functions.

The mechanical puppet Chen Jiu possessed strength at the Emperor-level, hence also being known as 'Emperor Chen Jiu'. These two were the 'chief examiners' dispatched by the Empire to oversee the Beihe Star System's assessment.

"Almost ready," Emperor Chen Jiu said. "King Beihe, move the space within the realm."

"Yes," King Beihe nodded and immediately began to cooperate.

"Left Emissary, please increase the Thousand Illusion Tree's power to the early stage of the Five Elements Dao Domain Realm," Chen Jiu then looked at 'Primal Emissary Zuo Qiyu'.

The latter wore a white robe embroidered with various plants and had a somewhat sinister and alluring aura on his face.

Facing Emperor Chen Jiu, he merely hummed softly.

"It's ready," Chen Jiu said. "Next, we will eliminate until only 50,000 people remain."

At the beginning of the third year after the assessment started, the Thousand Illusion Tree's power began to increase.

All floating platforms approached within five thousand *li*, and then it activated its second innate Great Divine Ability, Tree Heart Puppet.

Zhao Xing was originally sitting cross-legged, but now his legs were uncontrollable, seeming to want to stand up.

"Hmm?"

Zhao Xing immediately pressed down on his feet with his hands, the red light in his eyes growing stronger.

His legs quickly stopped trembling.

"Tree Heart Puppet has activated."

"The form of mental attack has changed."

"The first year was Thousand Illusion Eye, a pure mental impact."

"The second year, Thousand Illusion Eye began to induce various illusions, activating different emotions."

"The first two years targeted the consciousness itself, but now it's starting to affect the body, having penetrated to the level of 'life instinct'."

Zhao Xing took a deep breath, further strengthening his Slaughterous Thought Blade, but his legs were still trembling.

At this moment, his legs seemed to have their own will; every muscle wanted to escape.

"Mental interference with reality. This is influencing the Dao of Life through the Dao of Mind," Zhao Xing thought to himself. "Since this move is used, the assessment must be in its final year."

The closer to the end, the stronger the attacks emitted by the Thousand Illusion Tree.

Previously, Zhao Xing only needed to firmly guard his mind, but now the Thousand Illusion Tree bypassed him and directly affected his body.

"This is like a martial artist's combat instinct, a crisis warning. Sometimes, before seeing the enemy, the body has already reacted first."

Zhao Xing's will immediately began to strengthen control over his legs, suppressing the sudden 'instinct for survival'.

Meanwhile, on the other side, Xia Jing suddenly flashed, his legs springing up, and he leaped backward fiercely.

In an instant, he jumped past the light gate and appeared outside.

"Damn? How did I get out?"

At the same time, a large number of cultivators appeared from the seventy-two entrances in the sky.

"Sigh, still couldn't hold on."

"Couldn't help it."

"The Dao of Mind affecting the Dao of Life? It seems my cultivation at Myriad Heart Island isn't enough."

"Only over 800,000 people left, and I still couldn't hold on. But with this ranking, I can use it as a stepping stone for other forces."

"Alas, there won't be another chance. Next time, my age won't meet the requirements."

A large number of cultivators sighed in disappointment.

At this point, the Great Zhou participants' resting place also welcomed a new batch of eliminated individuals.

"Your Majesty, out of our 312 people, only five remain inside. They are Grand Minister of Agriculture Zhao Xing, Grand Marshal Luo Wang, Minister of Agriculture Liu Tianning, Minister of Agriculture Chen Shijie, and Master of Eight Thieves Dance Ji Mengjun."

Ji Che, at the other end of the Star Mirror, wearing peculiar attire, couldn't help but ask curiously: "Still five? That's quite good. Lu Ying, how were you eliminated?"

Lu Ying said, embarrassed:

"Your Majesty, I used 'Void into Soldier' to summon 800 mechanical puppets to restrain myself, but just now... these 800 mechanical puppets carried me out."

"Apparently, I inadvertently issued the wrong command just now."

"Hahahaha," Ji Che burst into laughter. "I was just thinking if I could trap myself there to pass. It seems such methods don't work either."

To pass the assessment, participants used a variety of ingenious methods.

However, any method, ultimately, was controlled by the person.

Without external treasures for assistance, a person couldn't trap themselves to death.

Knocking oneself unconscious was even worse; without maintaining consciousness, one would still be eliminated.

"Lu Ying, don't be discouraged. What was your elimination ranking?"

Lu Ying replied: "The Star Mirror showed I was the 1,360,000th person eliminated."

"Such a ranking is already very good. If you can't enter the Primal Realm, you can enter 'Profound Mechanism Hall'!" Ji Che comforted. "Alright, Ji Si and I have important matters to attend to. Report to me once the results of the first round are out."

"Yes."

It was October of the third year after the assessment began.

Zhao Xing was only a thousand *li* from the Thousand Illusion Tree.

Zhao Xing's left hand suddenly punched his own cheek.

His right foot kicked his left foot.

"Thump!"

Zhao Xing fell to the ground.

At this moment, the Thousand Illusion Tree's attack intensity was incredibly high.

Almost every cell in Zhao Xing's body screamed to escape.

With Slaughterous Thought Blade pushed to its limit, interacting with the Thousand Illusion Tree, Zhao Xing even wanted to kill himself.

"Ding!"

A three-dimensional clock appeared in Zhao Xing's mind.

The hands pointed to the hour of Zi (11 PM - 1 AM).

The killing intent subsided slightly, and consciousness returned to clarity.

"My name is Zhao Xing, and I am undergoing the first round of assessment for the Primal Realm. It is now the end of the third year of the assessment."

Consciousness calibrated, Zhao Xing took a deep breath and quickly controlled his body.

He glanced at the stone tablet.

"Remaining participants: 14,821."

The number froze, and the stone tablet turned gray.

"Hum—"

In an instant, all abnormal sensations vanished.

After enduring the final wave of high-intensity attacks,

The first round of the Primal Realm assessment finally ended.

"Congratulations, Zhao Xing of Fengdu Boundary Star in the Wuye Constellation, you have passed the first round of selection for the Primal Realm."

Inside the crystal ball on the light gate, Chen Jiu's voice rang out.

He simultaneously sent passing notifications to 14,821 people.

"I passed."

Zhao Xing felt a sense of relief.

That final peak attack was truly uncomfortable for him.

Although not at his limit, enduring much longer would likely have been difficult.

"After the first round ends, you have 97 years to prepare."

"In the last three years, you need to set aside time to travel from the Beihe Boundary Star to the twenty-eight top-tier star systems to participate in the second round of assessment."

"Good luck."

After listening, Zhao Xing was repelled by a great force.

Whoosh! The next moment, he appeared above the Beihe Boundary Star.

"I wonder if anyone from Great Zhou passed," Zhao Xing scanned his surroundings.

Due to the vastness of the top-tier Boundary Star, Zhao Xing couldn't see all 14,821 passers.

Zhao Xing headed towards his landing spot from three years ago.

"The first round of the Primal Realm assessment has ended," King Beihe's voice echoed throughout the Beihe Boundary Star. "In the Beihe Star System, a total of 14,821 people passed the first hurdle."

A commotion erupted among various forces on the Boundary Star.

"It's finally over!"

"Quick, quick! Go check the public list and see if there are any rogue cultivators."

"People of Profound Mechanism Hall, listen to my command! Immediately go find the passing mechanists and recruit them with huge rewards! Anyone who can persuade one person will be rewarded 10 billion Red Star Coins."

"I am Lan Yue, the head of Green Field Merchant Association. Immediately collect the list, inquire about news, and invest immediately in any of these 14,821 people who operate businesses."

"Hahahaha, my son Landis passed! Reward! All citizens are to receive a thousand Red Star Coins!"

As the first round of the Primal Realm assessment ended, those 14,821 people immediately became the center of attention.

Standing out from over 700 billion people meant an absolutely bright future.

Those wanting to invest, those wanting to poach, all immediately set out.

On Great Zhou's side, they were also anxiously waiting.

The final wave of eliminated people and passers emerged almost simultaneously. They didn't know how many of Great Zhou's five had passed and how many had been eliminated.

The list would be announced later, and they were truly looking forward to it.

Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh!

Soon, Zhao Xing, Luo Wang, Chen Shijie, Liu Tianning, and Ji Mengjun all appeared in Great Zhou's temporarily rented manor.

"They're here! They're out!"

The Great Zhou officials, who had been waiting impatiently, immediately came out to greet them.

Zhao Xing and the other four also arrived at the manor around the same time.

"Grand Minister of Agriculture, Grand Marshal..."

"If I had been a little later, I would have been eliminated."

"I was just a step away from being eliminated," Luo Wang said, still shaken. "Before my consciousness blurred, I had already collapsed on the teleportation gate's frame, but the Great Derivation Divine Artifact's spirit still judged that I passed."

Chen Shijie spoke last, regretting slightly: "I'm ashamed, I couldn't withstand the final wave of attacks."

Five entered, four passed! Great Zhou had four successful candidates!

Cheers of joy immediately erupted from the crowd.

Everyone was cheering and celebrating. Zhao Xing patted old Chen's shoulder: "That's already very good. There's another chance; worst case, you can try again in three millennia."

"Mmm," Chen Shijie remained dejected.

"Oh, by the way, Old Chen, what was your ranking on the Star Mirror?"

If one passed, there would be no ranking.

Only when eliminated would one's elimination number be displayed.

"When I was eliminated, there were only 16,245 people left," Chen Shijie said.

Zhao Xing was speechless, no wonder old Chen was so regretful.

16,245 was extremely close to the passing level.

In the final wave of attacks, if Chen Shijie had lasted even half a second longer, he might have made it.

What a pity, he just barely missed it.

One couldn't even say it was an issue of Old Chen's strength; with slightly better luck, for example, if the Primal Realm needed a few thousand more people, Old Chen would have passed.

Zhao Xing didn't know what to say, so he just patted old Chen's shoulder, then changed the subject, looking at Liu Tianning: "Master, how far were you from the light gate?"

Liu Tianning said he was lucky, but knowing Liu Tianning, Zhao Xing suspected he was being humble.

"In the final wave of attacks, I barely moved," Liu Tianning smiled.

"Barely moved?" Zhao Xing was stunned, then sent a voice transmission: "Master, has your Mirror Heart Lake divine ability reached perfection?"

The Mirror Heart Lake divine ability was different from Slaughterous Thought Blade. Liu Tianning's divine ability leaned towards defense, while Slaughterous Thought Blade leaned towards offense, which was why Zhao Xing had put effort into buying "Mind Bell."

Liu Tianning said: "I actually already perfected the Minor Divine Ability a long time ago. The reason I didn't move this time was primarily because I had a slight breakthrough with the Great Divine Ability 'Mother River of Mind'."

"What?" Zhao Xing's expression became somewhat strange. "Master, did you... remember anything else? Like some unfamiliar scenes or people?"

Liu Tianning was startled: "No, why?"

"Nothing, just asking."

Liu Tianning having a slight breakthrough with a Great Divine Ability was very rare.

However, this was also related to his continuous specialization in the Path of Self since entering the cosmic era.

In contrast, Zhao Xing had been carrying a heavy burden. Although he eventually received benefits promised by Qing Yuzi and gifts from Wu Tian, it also delayed a lot of his cultivation time, and what he learned was very complex. In certain aspects, he was actually surpassed by Old Liu.

"Grand Minister of Agriculture," as they were chatting, Grand Foreman Lu Ying suddenly said: "Many people have suddenly arrived outside the manor, saying they wish to see you, Grand Marshal, Lord Liu, and Lord Ji."

"Who are they?" Luo Wang asked.

Lu Ying checked the Star Mirror. This place was rented by him, and he had also linked into the manor's formation.

"Many. There are famous large merchant associations from the Beihe Star System, Myriad Heart Island, Primal Chaos Martial Hall... and even people sent by the Beihe Lord."

Zhao Xing smiled: "They are nothing more than persuaders trying to poach, or opportunistic merchants. However, these are people we cannot refuse. At least for now, we must show them respect."

"Lu Ying, arrange for them to be invited in one by one, according to their importance."

"Yes," Lu Ying nodded.

Afterwards, Zhao Xing briefly exchanged opinions with Luo Wang, Liu Tianning, and Ji Mengjun.

"If it's a gift from a minor force, there's no need to accept it. Great Zhou's treasury now has a good amount of money; there's no need to incur more karma for small sums."

"For those trying to poach, handle it as you see fit. Don't easily agree to deeply binding contracts."

"King Beihe's gifts can be accepted. We are considered citizens under his rule; these are simple rewards. With his protection, you don't need to worry about offending anyone by accepting..."

Zhao Xing shared some personal experience, then the four split up.

Zhao Xing told Luo Wang, Liu Tianning, and Ji Mengjun that they could boldly accept gifts, but he himself didn't plan to accept many.

Besides the gifts sent by King Beihe Yang Lin's envoy, all others were politely declined.

Master Zhao's standards were very high. Only King Beihe's gifts were worth accepting; after all, Great Zhou made its living in the Beihe Star System. Other forces were irrelevant; he wasn't short on such small money.

As for those trying to poach, he refused them all. Aside from the Primal Realm, Zhao Xing had no second choice.

Doing this merely left an impression of arrogance on the persuaders, without actually offending anyone. They were offering gifts to build good relations; there was no situation of forcing karmic ties.

"Junior thanks King Beihe for his care. Please take your leave," Zhao Xing said, seeing off the gift-bearing envoy, then closed the door, no longer receiving guests.

He then turned to contact Jing Yan and Yu Tianqing via the Star Mirror to inquire about their situations.

"I passed," Yu Tianqing said concisely.

"I barely passed," Jing Yan said, relieved. "I was almost eliminated."

"How many people passed in the Beiye Star System?" Zhao Xing asked.

"720,000 people," Jing Yan replied.

"Beiye Star System is truly a good place," Zhao Xing said.

"The first hurdle was already so difficult," Jing Yan said. "I wonder what the second hurdle will be like."

He had originally been full of confidence, but now he had no confidence at all.

"Old Yu, did you find the first hurdle difficult?" Jing Yan asked casually.

"Difficult, I suppose."

"Oh, you're putting on airs now, is that even a question?" Jing Yan scoffed.

Only Zhao Xing felt that Yu Tianqing was being quite restrained in his words.

In front of the Eye of Breaking Illusions, the first hurdle was indeed as simple as drinking water for him.

Yu Tianqing had once traversed the Transcendent Realm freely, completely unaffected!

Now, after a millennium of development, the amplification from his innate Great Divine Ability was even stronger. The first hurdle was truly not difficult for Yu Tianqing.

"Alright, I'm going into secluded cultivation," Jing Yan waved his hand. "Gentlemen, see you in 97 years."

"Brother Jing, Zhao Xing, I'm off too," Yu Tianqing said.

"See you in 97 years," Zhao Xing nodded. The second round's location would be in the Empire's twenty-eight top-tier star systems. The Beiye Star System was adjacent to the Beihe Star System, so Zhao Xing estimated he could meet Jing Yan and Yu Tianqing in the second round.

"The second round of selection will categorize by profession and choose between combat and support divisions," Zhao Xing thought to himself.

"I'll choose the combat division. The second round assessment will require selecting many plant soldiers for combat."

"My plan for the next century needs to shift focus, aiming to improve combat power!"

"Three directions: first, 'Element Extraction Divine Ability'; second, 'Great Yang Straw Man Technique'; and third, the Great Divine Ability 'Five Finger Mountain'."

"If I can master the Great Divine Ability Five Finger Mountain, I'll have a trump card."

"Element Extraction Divine Ability can also produce extraordinary effects, with a certain probability of yielding super soldiers."

"Great Yang Clone will serve as standard combat power."

With the plan set, in the first year after the assessment ended, Zhao Xing rented a cultivation ground on Beihe Boundary Star and began his ninety-seven-year period of cultivation.